[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 323 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 323
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to
establish scholarships for inviting new scholars to participate in
renewing education, and mentor teacher programs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 14, 2001
Mr. Schumer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to
establish scholarships for inviting new scholars to participate in
renewing education, and mentor teacher programs.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SCHOLARSHIPS.
Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended--
(1) by redesignating part E as part G;
(2) by redesignating sections 2401 and 2402 as sections
2601 and 2602, respectively; and
(3) by inserting after part D the following:
``PART E--SCHOLARSHIPS FOR INVITING NEW SCHOLARS TO PARTICIPATE IN
RENEWING EDUCATION
``SEC. 2401. SHORT TITLE; PURPOSE.
``(a) Short Title.--This part may be cited as the `Inviting New
Scholars to Participate in Renewing Education Act'.
``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this part is to make available,
through grants to the State educational agencies, scholarships to
individuals who are outstanding students, who are in their final year
of secondary school, attending an institution of higher education, or
graduates of such an institution, and who demonstrate an interest in
teaching children and youth, in order to enable and encourage those
individuals to pursue teaching careers in education at the preschool,
elementary, or secondary level.
``SEC. 2402. DEFINITIONS.
``In this part:
``(1) Alternative certification program.--The term
`alternative certification program' means a program to obtain
teacher certification through an alternative route designated
by the State.
``(2) Alternative route.--The term `alternative route',
used with respect to certification, means a route to
certification that--
``(A) includes strong academic and pedagogical
course work that provides a candidate seeking to become
a teacher with the subject matter knowledge and
teaching knowledge needed to help students meet a
State's curriculum standards;
``(B) provides intensive field experience in the
form of an internship, or student teaching, under the
direct daily supervision of an expert, veteran teacher;
``(C) ensures that the candidate meets standards
that are at least as rigorous as the State's standards
for subject matter knowledge and teaching knowledge
that are required for traditional teacher certification
or licensing (not certification through such a route);
and
``(D) is provided through a program that meets all
of the State's quality standards for program approval,
including standards that pertain to teacher candidate
test performance and other outcomes.
``(3) High-need.--The term `high-need', used with respect
to a school district, means a school district in which--
``(A) not less than 30 percent of the children
served by the local educational agency for the school
district are children eligible to be counted under
section 1124(c)(2); and
``(B) the elementary schools and secondary
schools--
``(i) have a higher teacher turnover rate
than the corresponding rate for the State in
which the school district is located;
``(ii) have a higher percentage of
uncertified or unlicensed teachers than the
corresponding percentage for the State; or
``(iii) have a higher percentage of
secondary school teachers not teaching in the
academic subject in which the teachers were
trained to teach, than the corresponding
percentage for the State,
as determined by the State.
``(4) Scholarship.--The term `scholarship' means a
scholarship awarded under this part.
``SEC. 2403. ALLOTMENTS AND GRANTS TO STATES.
``(a) Grants.--The Secretary may make grants to States, from
allotments determined under subsection (b), to enable the State
educational agencies for the States to pay for the Federal share of the
cost of awarding scholarships in accordance with this part.
``(b) Allotments.--From the sums appropriated to carry out this
part and not reserved under section 2409(c) for any fiscal year, the
Secretary shall allot to each eligible State educational agency an
amount that bears the same relationship to the sums as the amount the
State received for the fiscal year under title I bears to the amount
all States received for the fiscal year under title I.
``(c) Federal Share.--
``(1) In general.--The Federal share of the cost described
in subsection (a) is 80 percent.
``(2) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal share of the cost
may be provided from State sources in cash or in kind, fairly
evaluated, including plant, equipment, and services.
``SEC. 2404. GRANT APPLICATIONS.
``(a) Submission of Applications.--In order to receive a grant
under this part, a State educational agency shall submit an application
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretary may require.
``(b) Content of Applications.--The application shall contain
information that--
``(1) describes the selection criteria and procedures to be
used by the State educational agency in the selection of
scholarship recipients under this part;
``(2) designates the State educational agency as the State
agency responsible for administering the grants received under
this part;
``(3) describes the outreach effort the State educational
agency intends to use to publicize the availability of the
scholarships to eligible applicants in the State;
``(4) describes how the State educational agency will
inform recipients, on receipt of the scholarship awards, of
current and projected teacher shortages and surpluses within
the State;
``(5) provides assurances that each recipient of
scholarship assistance will enter into an agreement with the
State educational agency under which the recipient will--
``(A) complete the program of postsecondary
education or alternative certification program, as
described in section 2407(a)(1), for which the
scholarship was awarded;
``(B)(i) obtain certification or licensing as a
teacher (that is not temporary or emergency
certification or licensing); and
``(ii) teach in a private nonprofit or public
preschool, or a public elementary school or secondary
school, in a high-need school district, for a period of
not less than 1 year for each $5,000 of the assistance
received;
``(C) provide to the Secretary evidence of
compliance with section 2407 as required by the
Secretary; and
``(D) repay all or part of a scholarship, plus pay
interest and, if applicable, reasonable collection
fees, in compliance with regulations issued by the
Secretary under section 2408(a), in the event that the
recipient does not comply with the conditions described
in subparagraphs (A) and (B), except as provided for in
section 2408(b) or procedures described in paragraph
(7);
``(6) provides that the agreement entered into with
recipients will fully disclose the terms and conditions under
which assistance is provided under this part and under which
repayment may be required, including--
``(A) a description of the procedures required to
be established under paragraph (7); and
``(B) a description of the appeals procedures
required to be established under paragraph (8);
``(7) provides for procedures under which a recipient of
assistance under this part who teaches for less than the period
required under paragraph (5)(B) will have the repayment
requirements described in section 2408(a) reduced or
eliminated, consistent with the provisions of section 2408(b);
and
``(8) provides for appeals procedures under which a
recipient may appeal any determination of noncompliance with
any provision under this part.
``SEC. 2405. AMOUNT AND DURATION OF AND RELATION TO OTHER ASSISTANCE.
``(a) Limitations on Amount and Duration.--Subject to subsection
(c), each scholarship recipient shall receive a scholarship for each
academic year of postsecondary education or study in an alternative
certification program described in section 2407(a) in preparation to
become a preschool, elementary school, or secondary school teacher. No
individual shall receive scholarship assistance under this part for
more than 4 years of such postsecondary education or study, as
determined by the State educational agency, or a total amount of such
assistance that is greater than $20,000.
``(b) Consideration of Award in Other Programs.--Notwithstanding
the provisions of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965,
scholarship assistance awarded pursuant to this part shall be
considered in determining eligibility for student assistance under such
title IV.
``(c) Assistance Not To Exceed Cost of Attendance.--No individual
shall receive assistance for a scholarship under this part, in any
academic year, that exceeds the cost of attendance, as defined in
section 472 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, at the institution the
individual is attending or such cost of attendance for an alternative
certification program. A scholarship awarded under this part shall not
be reduced on the basis of the student's receipt of other forms of
Federal student financial assistance, but shall be taken into account
in determining the eligibility of the student for the other forms of
Federal student financial assistance.
``(d) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Funds appropriated pursuant to the
authority of this part shall be used to supplement and not supplant
other Federal, State, and local public funds expended to provide
services for eligible individuals.
``SEC. 2406. SELECTION OF SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS.
``(a) Selection Criteria and Procedures.--The State educational
agency shall establish criteria and procedures for the selection of
scholarship recipients. The criteria shall be intended to attract
highly qualified individuals into teaching, and to meet the present and
projected needs of States in addressing teacher shortages, including
the demand for and supply of early childhood and elementary school
teachers in the State, the demand for and supply of secondary school
teachers in the State, and the demand for teachers with training in
specific academic subjects in the State.
``(b) Reservation of Scholarship Funds.--In awarding the funds made
available to a State educational agency under this part for
scholarships, the State educational agency shall reserve not less than
30 percent of the funds for scholarships to students that intend to
teach in an academic subject that the State educational agency
determines is a subject shortage area, such as mathematics, science, or
special education.
``SEC. 2407. SCHOLARSHIP CONDITIONS.
``(a) Evidence of Enrollment.--An individual who is a recipient of
scholarship assistance under this part shall continue to receive such
scholarship assistance only during such periods as the Secretary finds
that the recipient is--
``(1)(A)(i) enrolled as a full-time student in a program of
postsecondary education at an accredited institution of higher
education that includes a teacher education program that is
approved by the agency; and
``(ii) pursuing a major or minor in the academic subject
that the individual intends to teach;
``(B)(i) enrolled as a full-time student in a graduate
program of postsecondary education at an institution described
in subparagraph (A); and
``(ii) pursuing a degree in the academic subject that the
individual intends to teach; or
``(C) enrolled in an alternative certification program;
``(2) pursuing a course of study leading to teacher
certification or licensing in the program of postsecondary
education or alternative certification program involved; and
``(3) maintaining satisfactory progress, as determined by
the institution of higher education, or the entity providing
the alternative certification program, that the recipient is
attending.
``(b) Evidence of Employment.--An individual who is a recipient of
scholarship assistance under this part shall supply to the Secretary,
not later than 27 months after the date the recipient completes the
program of postsecondary education or alternative certification program
for which the scholarship was awarded, evidence of employment as a
teacher in a private nonprofit or public preschool, or a public
elementary school or secondary school.
``(c) Tracking.--The Secretary shall conduct such oversight and
evaluation as may be necessary to assure compliance with this section.
``SEC. 2408. SCHOLARSHIP REPAYMENT PROVISIONS.
``(a) Repayment.--Recipients of scholarships who are found by the
Secretary to be in violation of the agreement entered into under
section 2404(b)(5) shall be required--
``(1) to repay a pro rata amount of the scholarship
assistance received; and
``(2) to pay interest (but in no event at an interest rate
higher than the rate applicable to loans in the applicable
period under part B of title IV of the Higher Education Act of
1965), and, in applicable cases, to pay reasonable collection
fees, on a schedule and at a rate of interest to be prescribed
by the Secretary in regulations issued pursuant to this part.
``(b) Deferral During Certain Periods.--A recipient shall not be
considered to be in violation of the agreement entered into under
section 2404(b)(5) during any period during which--
``(1) the recipient is enrolled in, pursuing an appropriate
course of study in, and maintaining satisfactory progress in, a
program of postsecondary education or an alternative
certification program, as described in section 2407(a);
``(2) the recipient is seeking and unable to find full-time
employment as a teacher in a private nonprofit or public
preschool, or a public elementary school or secondary school,
for a single period of not to exceed 27 months;
``(3) repayment would pose particular hardship for the
recipient, as determined by the Secretary; or
``(4) the recipient satisfies the provisions of additional
repayment exceptions that may be prescribed by the Secretary in
regulations issued pursuant to this part.
``SEC. 2409. EVALUATION.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall conduct, by grant or
contract, an independent evaluation of the scholarship assistance
program carried out under this part, which shall summarize and evaluate
the State activities assisted under this part and the performance of
such program. The evaluation shall assess the impact of the scholarship
program assisted under this part to determine whether such program has
brought into teaching a significant number of highly able individuals
who otherwise would not have entered teaching.
``(b) Evaluation Reports.--The Secretary shall submit to the
President, the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of
Representatives, and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate--
``(1) such interim evaluation reports as may be
appropriate; and
``(2) not later than September 30, 2006, a final report
containing the results of the evaluation.
``(c) Funding.--The Secretary shall reserve, from the amounts
appropriated pursuant to section 2610 for fiscal years 2002 through
2006, the minimum amount necessary to carry out this section.
``SEC. 2410. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this part $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2006.
``(b) Availability.--Any amounts appropriated pursuant to the
authority of subsection (a) shall remain available until expended.''.
SEC. 2. MENTOR TEACHER PROGRAMS.
Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 6601 et seq.), as amended in section 1, is further amended by
inserting after part E the following:
``PART F--MENTOR TEACHER PROGRAM
``SEC. 2501. PURPOSES.
``The purposes of this part are to give local educational agencies
the resources to establish mentor teacher programs to enable
experienced teachers to train, support, and mentor novice teachers.
``SEC. 2502. DEFINITIONS.
``In this part:
``(1) Board certified.--The term `board certified' means
successful completion of all requirements to be certified by
the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in the
academic subject in which a teacher is teaching.
``(2) Mentor teacher.--The term `mentor teacher' means a
teacher who--
``(A) is fully certified or licensed;
``(B) has demonstrated mastery of pedagogical and
subject matter skills (such as by becoming board
certified); and
``(C) has provided evidence of superior teaching
abilities and interpersonal relationship
characteristics.
``(3) Novice teacher.--The term `novice teacher' means a
teacher who has been teaching not more than 3 years at a public
elementary school or secondary school.
``SEC. 2503. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
``(a) Authority.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to award
grants, on a competitive basis, to local educational agencies
to develop and implement mentor teacher programs as described
in subsection (d).
``(2) Duration.--The Secretary shall award grants under
this subsection for periods of not more than 5 years.
``(b) Geographic Distribution.--To the maximum extent practicable,
the Secretary shall award the grants so that the grants are distributed
among the local educational agencies with higher percentages of new
teachers, or lower percentages of certified or licensed teachers, than
the corresponding percentages for the States in which the agencies are
located.
``(c) Amount.--The amount of each grant shall be determined based
on--
``(1) the total amount appropriated for a fiscal year under
section 2508 and made available to carry out this part; and
``(2) the extent of the concentration of novice teachers in
the school district involved.
``(d) Authorized Activities.--
``(1) Allocation by activity.--A local educational agency
that receives a grant under subsection (a) for a mentor teacher
program shall use--
``(A) not less than 75 percent of the funds made
available through the grant to pay for the Federal
share of the cost of obtaining the services of the
mentor teachers; and
``(B) not more than 25 percent of the funds to pay
for other costs related to the development and
implementation of the mentor teacher program.
``(2) Training.--The mentor teacher program shall provide
training to novice teachers on effective teaching techniques
(including techniques relating to class discipline and
curriculum development) through observation, instruction,
coaching, and mentoring by mentor teachers.
``(3) Federal share.--
``(A) In general.--The Federal share of the cost
described in paragraph (1)(A) is 75 percent.
``(B) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal share of
the cost may be provided from State sources in cash or
in kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment,
and services.
``(e) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Funds appropriated pursuant to the
authority of this part shall be used to supplement and not supplant
other Federal, State, and local public funds expended to provide
services for eligible individuals.
``SEC. 2504. APPLICATIONS.
``A local educational agency desiring a grant under section 2503
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such
manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may
reasonably require.
``SEC. 2505. PAYMENTS.
``(a) In General.--Grant payments shall be made under this part on
an annual basis.
``(b) Administrative Costs.--Each local educational agency that
receives a grant under section 2503 shall use not more than 2 percent
of the amount awarded under the grant for administrative costs.
``(c) Denial of Grant.--If the Secretary determines that a local
educational agency has failed to make substantial progress in attaining
such performance objectives and goals as the Secretary may require the
agency to establish, such an agency shall not be eligible for a grant
payment under this part in the next succeeding year.
``SEC. 2506. REPORTS.
``The Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee
on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives a report
of program activities funded under this part.
``SEC. 2507. MATCHING REQUIREMENT.
``The Secretary may not award a grant to a local educational agency
under section 2503 unless the local educational agency agrees that,
with respect to costs to be incurred by the agency in carrying out
activities for which the grant was awarded, the agency shall provide
(directly or through donations from public or private entities) in non-
Federal contributions an amount equal to 25 percent of the amount of
the grant awarded to the agency.
``SEC. 2508. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part
$50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2006.''.
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